People are rarely whole. While all the fingers and toes are accounted for, there are cracks, nooks and crannies that count us all just shy of "normal."
There are those that are missing physical pieces. The arm went in a boating accident, the hands didn't form correctly at birth and the front teeth went in a late night brawl.
These scars are seen, accepted and the vast majority of the population just moves along with their lives.
What's funny is that this vast majority is afflicted with their own scars. Yes, this sentiment calls forth the image of something on your Pinterest board; something like a busy city street or a lake at sunset with a poetic phrase written in swirly typeset superimposed on top about "everyone fighting their own battle." I gagged too, but while cheesy, it's true. Everyone is struggling in different ways.
What is unfortunate is that, despite its universal application, there is no universal understanding to be found about emotional and mental scars.
Anxiety, social anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, multiple personalities disorder, eating disorders, ADD and ADHD are all diseases. They are physiological disorders that manifest in emotional ways. They are treated by medical professionals and mocked by the general public.
Chances are, you have met someone who has described themselves as suffering from these diseases. What are the chances that you actually took that description seriously instead of reading it as a complaint?
With anxiety I do not just feel anxious, I am anxious. It touches every part of my life. It changes how I focus, how I plan and even how I sleep.
I think the most appalling thing someone can say to someone with this type of invisible disorder is "You're just making excuses."
There are people that think exposure is the way to "fix" or "conquer" these diseases. I see merit in this idea, but only by the request of the afflicted, not someone too impatient to try and understand things from the afflicted's perspective.
No matter how overplayed and bastardized it is, everyone is fighting their own battle, so it is important to try and understand, or at least accept, the scarred, battle-worn people that come your way.